Dancer From the Dance by Andrew Holleran 🇺🇸 BOOK REVIEW

[@mikefederighi9081]

Great observation regarding a kindred quality to The Great Gatsby. I'm glad you felt the book was a inclusive to straights and non New Yorkers. I struggled with recommending it to either group. It may be my favorite book ever. There is a haunted and deeply intense yet insincere quality to the characters. Malone and Sutherland are polar opposites and mirror images at the same time. Thank you for being an advocate.

[@JuanReads]

Thank you! I do what I can!

[@FriendofDorothy]

Thanks for reviewing one of the classics of gay fiction. I read this novel as a young man in my 20's and re-read it in my 60's. It was easy to relate to in my 20s as I was part of the scene, so to speak, although the West coast version of the disco and sex circuit in the '70s. The book excited my senses, made me want to dash off to NYC and Fire Island. It succeeded in romanticizing and glamourizing the excess and party spirit of that era. We all knew Malones; we all knew (many) Sutherlands. It all sounds very "decadent" and indulgent to some people but one must keep in mind we were part of a generation that was rejected by our parents and families, our towns, our churches, etc and most of us experienced bullying in school. We had each other but were otherwise outcasts. There was little acceptance and support for us, no will nor grace for a gay boy. In my 50s I had a different experience with this book. I still enjoyed it, but the tragic aspects and darkness seemed magnified somehow (probably because I knew the nightmare it was all leading up to, the "big disease with a little name" as Prince called it). So, yes, I found the book darker and more depressing, In my 20 s I wanted to be Malone; in my 60s I wanted to smack him in the face a la Cher and say "Snap out of it!!" I love Holleran's books, have read them all and am a big fan, but "Dancer From the Dance" is a reflection of its time, and in its time every gay novel or gay movie had to end in tragedy, usually either with a murder or suicide. The only novel I am aware of that diverted from that plot formula was "Maurice", by E.M. Forster. To me it earns the accolade of being considered "radical" for daring to have a happy ending. "Dancer" was not radical, it was reflective, but that is not to cast any aspersion on its gay classic status or its entertainment value as a novel. It remains among my top 5 all time favorite gay novels. Holleran is to gay lit what Enya is to pop music; his books are melancholic, yet beautiful. I would never think to compare it to "The Great Gatsby" but its an intriguing comparison. P.S. Juan, I love that you are reviewing a gay book, but I personally hate the word "queer". Do people not realize that was a cruel and lacerating word used against gay men in my generation? This is the last word that was heard by many a gay man being bludgeoned or stabbed to death ("Die, you f--cking queer!!"). I CRINGE every time I hear it. Yes, I know the new generation thinks they are "reclaiming the power of this word" but I still hate it and so does my stomach. Wish whoever thought it was a good idea to popularize such a word could've come up with a better word that did not have such a bloody and savage history.

[@JuanReads]

Thank you very much for your comment, Steven. It means a lot to me. I know that there are different opinions about the suitability of reclaiming the word "queer". I know that many people still find it offensive. I only started using that word in college because it is a term used in the academic fields of queer studies and queer theory, which I studied. I am careful about when and how I use the word because I understand how offensive some people find it. I don't recall how I use the word in this video, but I apologize if it made you feel bad, which obviously wasn't my intention at all.

[@fanyfiction8265]

Im a definitely not a gay male reader so im probably not in the aimed audience, ( im a girl), but I am enjoying this book for what it is and I like it, I see it as a tale debauchery, it feels real and raw and it fades into nothingness. I haven't read the great Gatsby, just watched the movie with Robert Redford because im a sucker for old things, but I would say it is a shame dancer from the dance wasn't made into a movie.

[@JuanReads]

I think everyone could read what they want, no matter who they are or what their background is.